Music

Patti Smith to receive Sweden's highest music honour

by Ciaran Thompson

Patti Smith, arguably one of the first female punks who made waves with her debut album Horses in 1975, will receive the Polar Music Prize, Sweden’s highest music honour, this summer.

The BBC reports King Carl XVI Gustaf will present Smith and Grammy-winning string group Kronos Quartet their one million kronor ($164,800) prize at a ceremony in August. The award is typically shared between a pop artist and classical musician with winners in the past including Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Ennio Morricone.

“Patti Smith has demonstrated how much rock ‘n’ roll there is in poetry and how much poetry there is in rock ‘n’ roll,” said The Royal Swedish Academy of Music. “She has transformed the way an entire generation looks, thinks, and dreams.”

Founded in 1989 by ABBA manager Stig Anderson, the Polar Music Prize is “awarded to individuals, groups or institutions in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music.”